Helium shortage could have serious impact on Wisconsin

Element necessary for MRIs

It hardly seems possible, but one the world's most abundant elements -- vital in the use of life-saving health equipment -- may be in short supply.

WISN 12 News reporter Kent Wainscott investigates a helium shortage, which is something that could have a serious impact in Wisconsin.

It is concerning because helium plays an important role in thousands of Wisconsin jobs and in public health.

Experts worry that before long, there may not be enough of it to go around.

Helium is a critical part of magnetic resonance imaging procedures.

"Medical imaging does use a lot of helium, and that's one use of helium that's absolutely necessary," said Dr. Vipul Sharma of Aurora West Allis Medical Center.

MRIs are used to diagnose everything from muscle and bone injuries to serious neurological conditions, but the machines won't work without helium.

It's a concern at GE Healthcare in Waukesha, one of the world's leading producers of MR devices.

"Helium has some special kind of properties. One of the properties we use is that it is actually getting liquefied at minus 452 Fahrenheit. That's damn cold," GE Healthcare MR president and CEO Richard Hausmann said.

Liquefied helium is the only thing that can sufficiently cool the coils of the enormous, powerful magnets that fill MRI cylinders.

A certain level of helium has to be maintained. It's regularly topped off because without it, the coils will overheat, the energy dies out and the entire device becomes basically worthless.

GE Healthcare officials take the shortage so seriously they testified before Congress last year, urging the government to take action.

"The problem is that we don't have enough refineries right now to get us enough helium, and we need a lot of it for our MRI magnets," Hausmann said.

Lighter-than-air helium is the second-most abundant element on Earth, so a shortage seems almost unthinkable.

For decades, the federal government has operated a Texas helium reserve that produces close to a third of the world's supply, but it can't produce it fast enough, and the supply isn't keeping up with demand.

While that could have a long-term impact on health care, in the short term, it's already being felt in arguably less-critical ways.

At his family's party store business, Bartz soon discovered the helium shortage is real and is having an impact on his industry.

"You start hearing about price increases, you start scrambling and see what you can do to maybe stockpile a little bit to make sure we have enough," Bartz said.

Experts said the tight supply is likely to last for a while, but for now, there is enough helium to serve the needs of the health care industry for several years.

The biggest concern is what might happen to these critical diagnostic tools, and the people who depend upon them, if the helium shortage lingers on.

The answer to that is still up in the air.

"If you didn't have MRI, we would be set back a lot because a lot of the things that we diagnose nowadays are only diagnosed because of MRI," Sharma said.

"In the worst case, if you don't have enough helium, we have to shut down those magnets at the hospital, which would lead to missing diagnoses and things like that," Hausmann said. "We don't want to lose that tool."

The reason there is so much concern right now is because the clock is ticking.

The government has had that helium reserve in Texas since the 1920s, but in the mid-1990s decided to get out of the helium business and to sell off the reserves by 2015.

Now, with that deadline fast approaching, the focus has shifted to Washington, D.C., where Congress is considering whether to extend that deadline to give private companies more time to buy and develop the helium supply.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin, companies such as GE Healthcare are keeping a close watch on what's happening there, while also working to create new technology to conserve helium and keep the supply afloat for as long as possible.

Helium is also used in medical lasers and the welding, aerospace and computer industries.

All of those could eventually feel the effects of a helium shortage.

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